Vesper

the big clubs atm with potential or for sure openings Real Madrid Chels (hopefully) Liverpool (if Klopp packs it in) PSG Juve AC Milan Inter Milan Atletico Madrid (perhaps, if Simeone finally packs it in there) Spuds

Bayern are usually so close to the vest. This was very uncharacteristic for them, and yes, it was very poorly handled. I hate Neuer, always have, he is the epitome of self entitled cuntishness. Salihamidžić also seems to be a bit of a loose cannon. Tuchel and him (and the hothead Kahn) are going to likely devolve as the years roll by into a shitshow. 3 ticking time bombs, one cup, lol.

I wish Tuchel all the best at Bayern if not us (of course) I have no truly strong wish as to the winner other than NO CITEH! ever I hope Citeh never wins the CL, same for Spuds and Arse I feel for Atletico Madrid, 3 finals, 3 losses Mbappe like will have to go to Real to win a CL, as I cannot see PSG winning it anytime soon

he should! we go DEEP at times and hash out a lot of the major controversies plus present a shedload of future-forward thought and documentation in terms of systemic risk/reward argument I, for instance, was already talking about the likelihood of the club perhaps being eventually (down the road as things further escalated in terms of Putin going wild, which of course he did) seized from Roman all the way back in the aftermath of the Skripal poisoning (4 March 2018) going down.

Sack the wannabe wizard Potter and hire Julian Nagelsmann! FFS, do it NOW

Lots of German summer tourist traffic for seaside fun goes to De Cocksdorp in Holland, lol.

Man Utd bid chaos leads to growing fears Glazers may not sell Concerns are growing among some parties involved in the Manchester United sale that the Glazers could be trying to play them There is a concern Glazers are trying to create leverage for loan Eyebrows raised over reports that eight bidders are involved Concerns are growing among some parties involved in the Manchester United sale that the Glazers could be trying to play them - and that instead of selling the club they are trying to push up the price to create leverage for a loan. Eyebrows also continue to be raised over claims that up to eight bidders are interested in the club given that only two, the Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim’s Qatari consortium, have gone public. The latest fears come after the deadline for the second round of bids for the club was dramatically extended on Wednesday. On Thursday lunchtime all parties involved were still waiting to hear when the new deadline might be for the second round of bidding, with some suggesting that a “fluid” approach could yet be introduced by Raine, the US bank in charge of the sale. The suspicion remains that Raine is trying to ramp up a bidding process that is not as competitive as some are making out, in order to push the price for United towards the upper end of the Glazers’ £5-6bn valuation – significantly higher than the Qataris or Ratcliffe want to pay – or to allow them to create leverage for another loan. Another option for the Glazers would be to retain the club but sell a minority stake to a US hedge fund, although why anyone would want to hand over so much cash but not run a club themselves is unclear. The latest plot twists comes as United’s share price has risen by over 15% in thepast five days to $25.42 on Thursday lunchtime. As things stand, United’s net debts stand at £514.9m, which means that just £35.1m has come off the £550m loaded onto the club as a result of the Glazers’ takeover in 2005. However both Ineos and Sheikh Jassim’s Qatari consortium have promised to return the club to its former glories on and off the pitch. Sheikh Jassim, a chairman of Qatari bank QIB and the son of a former prime minister of Qatar, has also insisted he would “invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports”. Meanwhile Ratcliffe, a 70-year-old billionaire, who was born in Failsworth in Greater Manchester, has stressed his deep links with the club he supported as a boy and promised to “put the Manchester back into Manchester United”. If the club is eventually sold it would comfortably break the world record for a sports team, held by Rob Walton, a member of the family that owns Walmart, who bought the Denver Broncos NFL franchise for $4.65bn (£3.78bn) last year. The chances of it happening no longer look quite as certain as it once did.

hard pass on the dwarf

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing Jonathan Johnson's Mercato Magazine - Liverpool may have ideal Bellingham alternative, Martial's Man United future, Lloris' time at Spurs coming to an end, and more Our French football expert with the low down on this week's big stories. https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/jonathan-johnsons-mercato-magazine-868 Liverpool have a possible alternative to Jude Bellingham and why they failed to sign Aurelien Tchouameni last summer… This week’s big story came from The Athletic’s reliable David Ornstein, who reported that Liverpool are ‘unlikely’ to sign top target Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund with Real Madrid and Manchester City both ahead in the race for the Englishman’s signature. Even though a lot of fans have their hopes pinned on Liverpool signing Bellingham, all hope of the club making a good signing is not lost and that is because the next player that I can see a number of European giants turning their attention towards is Monaco's Youssouf Fofana. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Fofana is still only 24 years old and is already one of Monaco’s most highly-rated midfielders. He also has an attractive contract situation which is set to expire next summer or the following year if Monaco decides to trigger his one-year extension clause. As for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and why Liverpool were unable to sign him last summer, the Frenchman’s replacement was ready and waiting at Monaco which enabled the principality club to move him on for a big sum and that is exactly what they did. Tchoameni was wanted by a number of top teams when he was leaving Monaco and Kylian Mbappe was very keen that PSG tried to sign him as he rejected Real Madrid to extend in Paris. However, once Real Madrid came in for Tchouameni, he only had eyes for them and there was only ever going to be one outcome once the fee was agreed. Spurs will be in the market for a new goalkeeper… One of the positions Spurs will undoubtedly be looking to reinforce in the coming windows is their man between the sticks. It would not surprise me if Spurs look to move on from Hugo Lloris sooner rather than later and Mike Maignan would be a good fit. He has already replaced Lloris as France's number one and he showed his value for AC Milan in their recent Champions League tie. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Top-quality goalkeepers are hard to find so he will likely be wanted by a number of sides, but Spurs could offer that guaranteed starting role that he would require. It is also a question of what happens with the project moving forward given Antonio Conte's situation and the club's need to change tack. Ousmane Dembele’s injury history is putting clubs off… Ousmane Dembele has flirted with the idea of a move away from Barcelona for a while and was being lined up by PSG before sporting director Leonardo was dismissed when Mbappe's future was secured. His injury history puts many clubs off, but he is attractive as a potential free agent or low-cost signing when his deal runs down. Regarding the Premier League, it could be a destination that interests him, but I think that many clubs are wary that he can be difficult to handle away from the pitch. A return to France is possible for Anthony Martial… Expectations were sky-high for Anthony Martial when he arrived at Manchester United and made a fast start to life. He was in great form with Monaco and that continued at Old Trafford. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images) However, once that wore off, it was clear that he was perhaps not at the level many thought he was at based on his early form. Mixed with behavioural issues and injuries, it has been a tough past few years and he has lost his way at international level too. A return to Ligue 1 could be a smart move for him given that his La Liga experience was not a roaring success. Taking charge of Lyon would make sense for Patrick Vieira… I did wonder if this might happen a few months back. We saw something similar at Nice and now Patrick Vieira has lost his job with Crystal Palace too. I think it was perhaps a little harsh based on where the team is right now and the fact that Roy Hodgson has come in once more. It is hardly progressive stuff. What Vieira decides to do next will be critical to his coaching career given his two most recent setbacks and recurrent questions surrounding his management. It could be that he returns to France and takes a lower-profile job to rebuild his reputation before chasing a high-profile one. Lyon might be a good fit given John Textor's Palace and Lyon links and the fact that Laurent Blanc continues to underwhelm.

the season Cesc turned 30yo he had 7 goals, 15 assist in only 1945 minutes (he had a bad thigh injury in the middle of season as well, that is why his minutes were so low, he fully recovered from it later on) can we find a 'finished' player like that? lol

Lukaku turns 30yo in 7 weeks Born: May 13, 1993

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing Exclusive: Ben Jacobs Takeover - Man Utd due for big day in takeover saga, Pochettino to return to Tottenham? Ruben Neves latest, and more This week's exclusive transfer news column, featuring Liverpool, Barcelona, Chelsea, and more. Big Wednesday ahead for Manchester United - the latest on the takeover front Wednesday is a big day for Manchester United. As many as six second bids could go in as part of what is being termed stage two of the process. The deadline for new offers is 9pm UK. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the two publicly-declared bidders and are both expected to place improved offers. It’s also important to point out that other groups, including minority investors, are still in the process. If a standout offer emerges then the Raine Group – who are handling the sale on behalf of the Glazers – could name a preferred bidder and put them through to a period of exclusivity. However, sources say it’s “very possible” there will be an extra bidding stage to create “competitive tension”. Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe were both left confident a full sale is possible following a day each of long meetings and presentations last week at Old Trafford. But who is put through next will really show the Glazers’ hand and whether they are truly intent on staying or leaving. Both Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe are clear they won’t overpay or be sucked into a bidding war, or be made to “ghost bid” against mystery groups. But there is an appreciation that it is going to take a record-sale price for a sports club in order to succeed. The Denver Broncos sold for $4.65bn (£3.8bn) in August last year. Many of the indicative offers are already above and in all likelihood if Manchester United is sold the final figure will be at least £1bn more than this. The ‘overpaying’ aspect comes from the fact all bidders are already prepared to go much higher than the club’s enterprise value – their indicative offers show this. That’s currently £3.75bn, which is pretty high due to the buzz of the process. For much of 2022 it’s been under £2.5bn. But there will be no reckless bidding. This is all still about business value not vanity. As Ratcliffe put it when speaking to the Wall Street Journal: “How do you decide the price of a painting? How do you decide the price of a house? It’s not related to how much it cost to build or how much it cost to paint. What you don’t want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently.” [Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) with Mercedes’ F1 team principal Toto Wolff - Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images] Last week, Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe both held what has been termed by sources as “productive” talks in Manchester. They received presentations essentially showing off the club in its best light from a strategic, operational, business and commercial perspective. It’s a bit like a takeover equivalent of an open house. And what was interesting about the meetings is we now know a lot more about the two publicly-declared bid teams. Ratcliffe is very much keeping his team in-house at INEOS with a split between business knowhow and football knowledge. The latter comes from Sir Dave Brailsford, INEOS Sport chair Rob Nevin and their CEO Jean-Claude Blanc (who interestingly is ex-PSG). Ratcliffe also felt it important to attend in person since the day was not only about information gathering but also relationship building. Sources also stress that Ratcliffe doesn’t want to leave this process “empty-handed” making him potentially inclined to partner with other groups if not successful. Sheikh Jassim’s delegation was led by Shahzad Shahbaz, who is president of the Nine Two Foundation. He is an experienced and highly-respected banker and has been earmarked for a key long-term role rather than only parachuted in to drive the bid or help value the club. He’ll be an important part of the leadership team at Manchester United if the group is successful. I understand Shahbaz will likely represent the Nine Two Foundation, a bit like Behdad Eghbali at Chelsea on behalf of Clearlake Capital. He’ll then directly advise Sheikh Jassim, who is expected to be highly engaged but slightly less day to day. We could also see Sheikh Jassim come to London soon if things progress where many of his bid team are working from. Overall, the Nine Two Foundation plan is to build, as one source put it, “The best bench in football administration and expertise, including experienced current and former Manchester United people of history and influence.” The first task will be to bring on board a football lead with multiple candidates currently being considered. And don’t rule out ex-players being involved as well. A number of high-profile ones are waiting to see who succeeds before committing, but there is an openness by many to be a part of the successful group. Spurs exploring Antonio Conte solutions Tottenham are set to part ways with Antonio Conte, although at the time of writing nothing has been officially communicated. Conte flew back to Italy after the 3-3 draw at Southampton, having given an explosive post-match press conference in which he called his players “selfish”. Conte has had to clarify directly to Levy that he wasn’t criticising the ownership since he appeared to allude to Spurs being serially unsuccessful over the past 20 years. Levy is taking his time to come to a formal decision, largely considering what is the best move to try and finish in the top four. The most likely scenario is Ryan Mason will be put in temporary charge, but the international break does allow Spurs some time to explore different options. Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Thomas Tuchel are all out of work, although they generally aren’t the type of managers who like to come in mid-season. Pochettino is extremely open to a Spurs return and retains a strong professional and personal relationship with Levy. But Levy isn’t the only decision maker, even though his opinion carries huge weight. Fabio Paratici will lead on any appointment and he views Enrique as a strong candidate. Both options would be popular choices amongst the fanbase. Pochettino has taken his time despite receiving lots of offers since leaving PSG. He was under consideration from Chelsea, even though Graham Potter was always the leading candidate. But he was not entirely sold on the vision. If Poch is to go back to Spurs, he’ll want to understand the dynamic between himself and Paratici first. My understanding has always been Thomas Tuchel is not a leading candidate. He is obviously a top coach, but not seen as quite the right fit by the senior leadership team at Spurs. And after Conte’s outbursts, finding the right type of personality, not just coach, may well prove important. Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva could also be considered. Roberto De Zerbi has also impressed since joining Brighton but hasn’t even been there for a year. Brighton CEO Paul Barber told talkSPORT the club want to keep hold of him for as long as they possibly can, and with the Seagulls pushing for Europe it’s not thought De Zerbi would consider leaving mid-season. First, Spurs have to resolve matters with Conte, who was always expected to leave at the end of the season. Again, at the time of writing, nothing has been officially communicated (perhaps that will change by the time you are reading this!). Thereafter, the key decision is whether an immediate appointment is made or Spurs wait until the end of the season. 💬 Who would your preferred managerial candidate be for Tottenham should Antonio Conte depart the club? Let us know your thoughts below! Chelsea want to extend Mateo Kovacic as Man City ‘aware’ of situation Although there has been some doubt over Mateo Kovacic’s future at Stamford Bridge over the past few months, and his contract ends in 2024, Chelsea are keen to extend his stay. Chelsea are putting a high premium on leaders right now, and Kovacic has also been captain with others missing, including in the win over Dortmund in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge. And Kovacic scored a spectacular goal in the victory over Leicester in the Premier League. Jorginho’s departure to Arsenal was a great deal for all parties, but Chelsea nonetheless lost an experienced and well-liked player. Now, the owners don’t want to fall into too many repeat scenarios where they are selling players whose contracts are winding down. That’s why cashing in on Kovacic this summer has been discussed. But right now I understand things have changed a little. Kovacic has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester City and Milan, and with new Chelsea midfielders incoming this summer he must understand how many minutes he’ll get, especially with N’Golo Kante back. Kante is expected to sign a new deal, too. Plus, Kovacic could have options that include Champions League football. It's a tall order for Chelsea to now qualify for the competition in 2023/24. [Mateo Kovacic (right) in action for Chelsea - Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images] But from Chelsea’s perspective they’d like Kovacic to extend, especially with him being 28, which makes a bit of difference compared to others (like Jorginho, for example) in their thirties. Chelsea’s owners want to get the average squad age down. A renewal is not yet a given, but there’s been a clear shift, with Kovacic now someone Chelsea ideally want to keep. The broader challenge for Chelsea’s American owners is players like Kovacic, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all approaching the final year of their contracts. This makes it harder to get value from departures. And Chelsea want to stop contracts just ticking down because it puts them in a weaker position in the market. To get Kovacic to sign, he’ll have to agree to the new incentive-driven wage structure. This will include handsome opportunities to earn, but also a decrease if Champions League football isn’t achieved. Manchester City, in particular, are well aware of Kovacic’s situation. Let’s not forget they also tried to sign him in 2018 from Real Madrid before his move to Chelsea. Although City’s top midfield target is Jude Bellingham, Guardiola may push for more than one midfielder especially due to other potential outgoings, including Ilkay Gundogan, whose future remains undecided. Wolves expecting Neves departure as Liverpool ‘still really like’ teammate Wolves showed last summer they were able to hang on to Ruben Neves despite interest from Arsenal. But this summer things will be different. A bit like West Ham with Declan Rice, Wolves are pretty resigned to losing Neves. They know, with his contract expiring in 2024, selling at the end of the season is the only way to command a healthy fee. Liverpool have certainly tracked Neves, but keep an eye on Matheus Nunes. He’s the one Liverpool still really like from Wolves. Barcelona have also considered Neves, but it’s not a deal (financially speaking) they can pull off right now. Manchester United and Newcastle are looking for a player with a profile like Neves. A lot of attention will be on Rice, with Arsenal and Chelsea pushing, but Neves will be highly-sought after as well and is available cheaper than the West Ham talisman (perhaps even around half his price). That’s the silver-lining for Wolves. They may lose the Portuguese midfielder but be able to drive up the price a little due to a high volume of suitors. Let’s not forget last summer Neves was being valued at over £75m. His price has dropped due to the contract winding down, but Wolves would still ideally want closer to £50m than £40m. 💬 Would you prefer your club to sign Matheus Nunes or Ruben Neves? Share your ideal transfer below!

I will do a dance if we get £50m for the donkey

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing 🚨 the Daily Briefing - Liverpool out of the Bellingham race? Man Utd takeover latest, Carlo Ancelotti's future, and more Tuesday's transfer round-up, featuring Lionel Messi, Joao Cancelo, Jude Bellingham, and more. Good morning! Welcome to my latest Daily Briefing - an exclusive round-up of the biggest stories and headlines, brought to you ad-free and straight to your inbox. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! 🙂 Today’s top stories Liverpool’s status in the Jude Bellingham transfer race New bids expected soon from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatar Who Tottenham could replace Antonio Conte with in the short-term Barcelona Barça have an excellent relationship with João Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, but nothing will be decided at this point in time. Bayern and Cancelo will discuss things at the end of the season, and in the meantime, the fullback is now 100% focused on FC Bayern. 📰 Barcelona are interested in resigning their former striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (The Evening Standard via CaughtOffside) Christian Falk to CaughtOffside: “I talked with Julian Nagelsmann about João Cancelo and he said that the defender is doing well but he isn’t a player for his system, which involves three defenders behind two wing-backs. So that’s the problem. “If Pavard is fit, it’s getting difficult for Cancelo and time is slowly running out. It’s not a perfect situation for both sides and it’s worth considering that the clause of €70m is too high for Bayern Munich. I heard they’ve already informed the player and his management that they can’t pay this amount.” Gift Orban Wesley Sonck (Belgium U18 coach) on rumours of possible Premier League transfer [Sporza via CaughtOffside]: “I think it’s great that he is so ambitious. He is also fast, he adapts well. I must also admit that he easily scores goal. He is often in the right place. “But the Premier League or the Bundesliga? That is still a few steps higher. Even with teams like Borussia Monchengladbach or Eintracht Frankfurt you have guys like (Marcus) Thuram and (Randal) Kolo-Muani in front of you. “They are still on a different level.” Inter Milan 📰 The Italian giants are unlikely to re-sign on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku following a disappointing season in Italy (Football Insider via CaughtOffside) Liverpool Jude Bellingham has not made a final decision yet. The situation remains open; it was not done with Liverpool in December and January despite many rumours, and it’s not off now. Real Madrid are pushing a lot as they really want Jude, same for Manchester City. Of course, Liverpool’s uncertainty in their ownership situation is not helping but the club is still there in the race. Christian Falk to CaughtOffside: “I heard that because of Liverpool’s experience in the Champions League this term, Jurgen Klopp made his thoughts very clear: Bellingham is now the top, top target. He said that every other transfer should be pushed down the pecking order; names like Randal Kolo Muani aren’t as important at the moment - there’s just one name and this is Bellingham.” Manchester City 📰 Manchester City are said to have tabled their first offer for Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic as they look to steal a march on their rivals for the defender (The Athletic via CaughtOffside) Manchester United New bids are expected soon from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Qatari group, for sure they are both in the race at this stage. The next few days will be crucial; details of this negotiation are still private as of now but there are going to be some crucial days/weeks coming. [Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) attends AS Monaco v OGC Nice (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)] PSG From what I know, PSG have already made a proposal to Lionel Messi - and he’s waiting to make a decision based on PSG’s project, coach and more key details for the next season. It’s up to Messi, and his father Jorge. 💬 Is it time for Lionel Messi to return to Barcelona? What’s the next best step for the legendary midfielder? Let us know your thoughts below!Leave a comment Real Madrid Real Madrid are still protecting Carlo Ancelotti as they hope to do great things in the Champions League again. No decision will be made now; but only at the end of the season. For sure, winning trophies at Madrid is crucial to keep the job and Ancelotti knows that too. 💬 Who should Real Madrid replace Carlo Ancelotti with if the club decides to sack him in the summer? Share your predictions below! Tottenham Tottenham’s final say will be up to Daniel Levy. The process is ongoing, Spurs are not happy with Antonio Conte’s comments so they are seriously considering parting ways with their manager after less than two years in the role. For the replacement, it could be Ryan Mason as a short-term solution; they haven’t decided on a long-term option as of yet.

Boavista F.C. FTW

hard pass on both, especially the shortie Raya

you forgot KK he is almost impossible to move on due to that 4 year contract at an insane £295K PW

Liverpool will be a "title-contending team" once again if they sign Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham in the summer, according to Arsenal legend Paul Merson. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-transfers-bellingham-mount-klopp-29509578 Jurgen Klopp's side are enduring a tough campaign. The Community Shield winners failed to go far in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. They are also sixth in the Premier League - seven points behind Tottenham in fourth with two games in hand. Liverpool are expected to revamp their squad in the summer, with Klopp's midfield a particular talking point. Merson believes the Reds will be competitive again if they can bring in long-term target Bellingham, 19, and Chelsea talent Mount, 24, in the next window. "Whoever gets Mason Mount has got the biggest result ever," Merson told Sky Sports, with a number of clubs said to be interested. "The kid can play. It's bad business by Chelsea - they should give him what he's asking for. You don't offload your best players. "There are so many players that need to get shipped out of this Chelsea squad before Mount. When you hear whispers of the teams that want to buy him that tells you everything you need to know." Mount's existing deal expires in June 2024. Chelsea could be forced to sell the England international if they fail to agree a contract extension before this summer, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain all thought to be interested.

Liverpool ‘increasingly unlikely’ to sign Jude Bellingham this summer A huge blow to Jurgen Klopp's plans. https://metro.co.uk/2023/03/20/liverpool-increasingly-unlikely-to-sign-jude-bellingham-this-summer-18469515/ Liverpool are set to miss out on signing Jude Bellingham this summer with it ‘increasingly unlikely’ the club will not be in a position to fight for his signature. Bellingham remains one of the most-sought after players in world football with Liverpool thought to have been among the front runners to sign him when he leaves Borussia Dortmund. In recent years, the midfielder’s social media activity has been used to fuel suggestions he favours a move to Anfield while Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard recently backed the club to sign the England international, even offering his services to help get the deal done. Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid have been leading the race to sign the 19-year-old with latest reports suggesting Dortmund will be looking for a fee of at least £110million for their prized asset. But according to The Athletic, a deal is now seen as very challenging for Liverpool. A combination of that huge fee, the financial power of rival suitors and Liverpool’s reluctance to enter a bidding war has cast major doubt on Liverpool’s chances of signing the former Birmingham City starlet. It is thought City and Real Madrid are in better positions to compete for his signature in the coming months. Liverpool’s hopes are fading fast Liverpool are set to finish the season without a trophy and face a fight to finish in the top four, currently sat in sixth place and seven points behind fourth place Tottenham. Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all out of contract at the end of the season and with Jurgen Klopp’s squad in need of a refresh, wider recruitment could also affect their chances of landing Bellingham. Chelsea are also interested in signing the midfielder while Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag views Bellingham as a ‘generational talent’ and a future captain. Former United defender Ferdinand meanwhile believes Liverpool’s Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid will have left the player with serious doubts over a move to Merseyside. ‘If Liverpool get Bellingham then Stevie [Gerrard] and yourselves [Michael Owen and Peter Crouch] will have swam the English Channel to get him,’ he said on BT Sport. ‘I just think that if he watched that tonight he must be thinking, ‘if Real Madrid and Liverpool are in for me, there’s only one place to go!”.

Felix and Fernandez are Chelsea’s new attacking brain – but defensive frailty remains https://theathletic.com/4323005/2023/03/19/Chelsea-enzo-felix-everton-potter/ With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Graham Potter tempted fate when, abandoning his usual slavish devotion to measured statements and emotional stability, he allowed himself to indulge in a little populist rabble-rousing at an event for Chelsea members on Thursday. Having thanked the fans for being fair with him, he ended his message to them with a bang: “We will try and beat Everton, take the draw and then we will try and win the fucking Champions League!” The draw he referenced was the following day’s laying-out of the Champions League quarter-final and semi-final brackets, not the deflating blow Everton inflicted on Chelsea’s tentative recovery by snatching a late point at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. But it was at least conceivable for the football gods to hear Potter’s words and conclude that he and his team, a spring in their step thanks to three encouraging wins after three miserable months, were asking to be Dyched. On the pitch yesterday evening, it was much easier to see exactly how Chelsea had contributed to their own undoing: both Everton equalisers were largely self-inflicted wounds, with this season’s ninth set-piece goal conceded in limp fashion to Abdoulaye Doucoure at a corner before startlingly poor individual errors from Kalidou Koulibaly and Kepa Arrizabalaga allowed substitute Ellis Simms to make himself this season’s Jarrad Branthwaite in the 90th minute. Chelsea had twice edged themselves ahead, both of their goals just reward for one of the more convincing performances in possession of Potter’s seven-month tenure. Directed by the routinely excellent Enzo Fernandez at the base of midfield, they played through Everton’s press and then stretched and stressed Sean Dyche’s diligently-drilled low defensive block to its breaking point. Fernandez’s long-range passing is particularly dangerous: he completed 10 of his 13 attempts, sometimes switching the point of attack to Reece James on the right but more often out to the left to Ben Chilwell, who touched the ball more (96 touches) than any other player on the pitch. One such combination yielded the first-time cross Michael Keane could only clear to the feet of Joao Felix for the opening goal. Everton had come to west London imbued with the fighting spirit of Dyche’s most dogged Burnley teams; he has spoken in recent weeks about transforming the mentality of a struggling squad since replacing Frank Lampard at the end of January and, at one point in the first half, Amadou Onana let out a fierce yell of triumph in front of the away dugout after forcing the ball out for a Chelsea throw on the halfway line. Led by Burnley alumni Keane and James Tarkowski, Everton also blocked 10 of Chelsea’s 20 shot attempts but in the 53rd minute, Joao Felix managed to squeeze one through the legs of the latter and into the only place it could evade goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s desperate dive, kissing the inside of the far post before spinning across the line. A first goal at Stamford Bridge was no less than the Portugal star deserved for a display of elegant menace that prompted his name to be sung resoundingly and repeatedly in the stands. Starting in the No 9 role inhabited by Raheem Sterling against Borussia Dortmund in the previous home game and Mykhailo Mudryk away to Leicester City last weekend, he linked easily with the resurgent Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic, who was making his first start in more than two months. The Atletico Madrid loanee’s movement between the Everton lines was a constant problem, punctuated by several skilful flourishes that dazzled the crowd — most notably one flick and spin around the corner that left Tarkowski pressing fresh air. Until the final 15 minutes, there were plenty of signs of an exciting, dynamic Chelsea attack coming together. James and Chilwell have returned to something close to full power following injury lay-offs, stretching opponents horizontally and giving this team back their old wings. Between them, January signings Fernandez and Joao Felix provide the Chelsea side with a new brain capable of creation as well as control. The first goal here was a product of Fernandez and Chilwell, the second a result of the panic caused by James combining with Joao Felix. The broad reaction to Potter’s late-game decisions underlined the limited trust he commands with supporters, despite the recent upturn. The introduction of Conor Gallagher for Pulisic on the hour was widely interpreted as defensive, despite the change not actually changing Chelsea’s system at all (3-4-3 with the ball, 5-3-2 without it). In the final minutes, he favoured the height of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Carney Chukwuemeka to try to deal with Everton’s aerial barrage, with Chelsea’s game management undermined by the forced withdrawal of the excellent Wesley Fofana (“He was feeling his hamstring,” Potter said later). This was not the moment for N’Golo Kante’s long-awaited return — no point introducing the greatest midfield ball-winner of his generation against a team increasingly intent on bypassing their own midfield. Potter watches his team twice pegged back by Dyche’s Everton in Saturday’s 2-2 draw (Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) Would weaponising the speed of Mudryk or Noni Madueke as Everton pushed up in search of an equaliser have been a better strategy? Perhaps, but encouraging the game to become more open and transitional comes with its own defensive risks. Potter took the more pragmatic approach — one perfectly aligned with the values of many of his more decorated Chelsea predecessors, if not quite so in tune with the current desires of many supporters. Ultimately, two points were lost because of a disastrous cascade of individual errors: Fernandez leaving Doucoure uncontested to receive a pass forward from Vitalii Mykolenko and redirect it to the feet of Simms; Koulibaly opting to confront rather than contain a striker without a Premier League goal to his name at the time and only recalled from loan at Championship side Sunderland by Lampard at the turn of the year; then Kepa allowing a relatively tame shot to squirm under his left wrist. Potter’s decisions did not let Everton back into the game primarily because they were never out of it, and never gave the impression of a team who believed they were beaten. They made Chelsea feel their physicality throughout — by fair means and occasionally foul, best illustrated by one crude Tarkowski neck-pull on Joao Felix — and made maximum use of their physical advantages to ensure they were never more than one opposition mistake away from salvation. The result further cements Chelsea in mid-table mediocrity and dulls the optimism of a timely recent revival, but it could also provide an opportunity for Potter to spend the two-week international break that starts tonight (Sunday) thinking about the flaws in this team that he still needs to address with that quarter-final against Real Madrid on the horizon. After all, defending set pieces and managing late-game leads are the kind of details a team needs to get consistently right if they want to try to win the fucking Champions League.

I cannot disagree more, with most every point de rec

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing 🚨 the Daily Briefing - What next for Conte after FURIOUS outburst? Plus the latest on Chelsea midfielder's future, Arsenal, Barcelona, and more My latest Briefing, featuring Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, and more. Good morning guys and welcome to my latest Daily Briefing! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy today’s ad-free round-up straight to your inbox 🙂 Today’s top stories: Conte looking likely to leave Spurs Zakaria to be replaced at Chelsea Plus more from Arsenal, Barcelona and Brighton Arsenal Arsenal fans are understandably concerned about the William Saliba injury. Honestly injuries are not my area, so I prefer not to comment on things like the Saliba case until I have 100% info. It’s better to wait for Arsenal’s statement. The upcoming international break will help in this sense, but I think Arsenal will fight for the title at the best level in any case. They’ve coped well with injuries all season and so I don’t expect another setback to have a huge effect. Barcelona Ronald Araujo is not hiding that he’d love to see Lionel Messi back at Barcelona: “I’d love Messi to return. He is the best player in the world and Barcelona is his home. His return would help us to try to win another Champions League. I hope there are every chance to have him again. We all want him by our side.” Brighton Kaoru Mitoma is the latest name being linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, but Brighton will not sell the whole squad! We always have rumours on their players, I think it’s most likely to see at least one midfielder gone as they will try to keep Mitoma, who is really appreciated by Roberto De Zerbi. Official, signed. Brighton confirm Solly March has signed a new contract that runs until June 2026, as announced in an official club statement. There will be also an additional one-year option for the club. Good news for Brighton as the 28-year-old continues to be a key performer in Roberto De Zerbi’s side, with seven Premier League goals this season. Ukrainian centre-back Mykola Matvienko is set to sign new contract with Shakhtar Donetsk valid until June 2028. Brighton had a €20m bid rejected last January, when Shakhtar were asking for a €30m fee, and my understanding is that Brighton remain among the clubs still tracking Matvienko ahead of summer. We’ll have to see how this new deal affects his situation, but it looks like suitors will still be there for this talented defender. Chelsea Denis Zakaria is not a regular starter so honestly I think there were never many chances of him staying on permanent deal. For sure Chelsea will go for new midfielder in the summer; I really appreciate Zakaria, I think he’s underrated but probably Chelsea want something different to play next to Enzo Fernandez. Mason Mount has now appointed Neil Fewings as new agent, agreement done weeks ago — understand it’s very likely that he will leave Chelsea in July. Fewings will now help Mount in talks. Ben Chilwell has made it very clear where he stands on Graham Potter after a difficult start to life at Chelsea. For all the talk about Potter’s job safety, Chilwell is backing the manager: “I’ve been in dressing rooms before where you know in your head that there's a bit of a divide between staff and players... and for sure, this isn't one of them. Potter has dealt with it all brilliantly the past few months.” Borussia Monchengladbach are resigned to losing Manu Kone amid links with Chelsea, according to Christian Falk - click here to read more! 📰 Chelsea are considering Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier as a potential candidate to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy this summer (Football Insider) Fulham Marco Silva sounds committed to Fulham despite links with Tottenham: “I’m really pleased and happy in this football club, I’m happy with Fulham project. We have the ambition to do better, to improve, we want this club to keep growing. I trust this project.” Liverpool I’ve had Liverpool fans asking me about Jose Enrique’s surprise comments, when he seemed to ‘leak’ the fact that Ryan Gravenberch would be joining the Reds. Honestly I’m not aware of this deal. Bayern wanted to keep Ryan Gravenberch in January despite lot of interest and nothing has changed at this stage, we will see in the summer. He’s a fine player who surely has a big future, but it’s too early to say right now where his future lies. Manchester City Another hat-trick for Erling Haaland as Manchester City thrashed Burnley. An unbelievable player in the form of his life! 💬 How many goals can Haaland finish the season with? Give me your predictions in the comments! PSG Lionel Messi already received a proposal from PSG to extend the contract — Leo didn’t ask for the same salary as other players, despite some reports to the contrary. But Messi wants to understand more about how the PSG project is going to look before making his final decision, after initially agreeing a verbal pact in December. Real Madrid Carlo Ancelotti: “Eder Militao’s the best centre back in the world. He’s not perfect because sometimes he is not 100% focused, also he is not that handsome!” Carlo Ancelotti on his future: “The club has to decide. I’d really love to stay at Real Madrid for my whole life, but it’s impossible. I want to continue here. If they want me to stay 3 months, I’ll enjoy 3 months. If they want 3 years, I’ll enjoy 3 years.” Shakhtar Donetsk Ukrainian centre-back Mykola Matvienko is set to sign new contract with Shakhtar Donetsk valid until June 2028. Brighton had a €20m bid rejected last January, when Shakhtar were asking for a €30m fee, and my understanding is that Brighton remain among the clubs still tracking Matvienko ahead of summer. We’ll have to see how this new deal affects his situation, but it looks like suitors will still be there for this talented defender. Tottenham It’s very clear - Antonio Conte was furious after yesterday’s game and he didn’t hold back with his statements against the players. He said the players needed to stop their excuses, and that they had no fight or desire. Conte was already furious weeks ago and this is one of the reasons we’ve had rumours about his future, but he never had any concrete or advanced negotations over a new contract. It’s up to Tottenham, but for sure the feeling around sources is for Conte not to be Spurs coach next season – it was already like this after AC Milan UCL clash. It’s also partly because of personal reasons, as well as his expectations of the players. He’s not happy with many decisions, he wanted to decide at the end of the season but the feeling now is that he won’t still be their manager next season, the plan is to change. We’ll have to see when he will communicate this, or if the club will decide something before then. I’m not sure there are issues with the ownership, he’s not happy with the players and their attitude more than the ownership. He wants to see different attitude, this is why he’s really unhappy with the current situation. A reminder of some of those explosive Conte quotes again: “They are used to it here at Tottenham. They don’t play for something important. They don’t want to play under pressure, under stress. It is easy in this way! Tottenham story’s this for 20 years, there’s the owner but they never won something. Why?” “I see selfish players, players that don't want to help each other and don't put their heart into this. There’s no fire, no desire. You need to have this in every moment. When you are NOT a team, you can’t improve. Here we play for the badge. We play to make Tottenham fans proud of us. You need fire in yours eyes. This is unacceptable also for the fans. They follow us, pay for the ticket and this performance is unacceptable.” We’ve had many rumours, but Tottenham have not started the process of hiring a new manager yet. Pochettino wants to return to coaching and Luis Enrique too but it doesn’t mean they will join Spurs. I think the best solution would be Pochettino’s return or modern, young, new coach like Ruben Amorim. Marco Silva is another name linked with the Tottenham job, but when asked about the links he made it clear he’s happy with the Fulham project: “I’m really pleased and happy in this football club, I’m happy with Fulham project. We have the ambition to do better, to improve, we want this club to keep growing. I trust this project.”

PSG Messi is just cashing cheques we all saw he can still be the best player on the planet at the WC he doesn't give a toss about PSG Mbappe does, but he and Neymar hate each other and they are both RWers so inherent imbalance there PSG are a stitch-up job for any manager that goes in there Thiago was their heart and soul, along with Cavani they are gutless when the chips are down after they left, other than Mbappe